Here is the situation:
1. I have a Lincoln Electric 210 MP that is approximately 5 years old
2. The other day it tripped a breaker which is not uncommon since I've been running it on 120 not 240. Usually I just reset the breaker and turn the machine back on.
3. Reset the breaker, turned the machine on and maybe 5 seconds into the boot process it tripped the breaker again (not welding, just booting so very low power)
4. Tried different circuit, same result, the breaker was tripped about 5 seconds into the boot process
5. Detached everything (MIG gun, extension cord, etc...) from the machine and tried again, but the result was the same.
There is a authorized service shop for Lincoln nearby which could be convenient, but since I thought it was just going to be a circuit board swap I thought I might do it myself. At least that's what I thought until I found out the board was $700 (keep in mind this was a $1000 machine when I bought it). So, at this point I thought it was worth it for me to try a component level repair on the board. I was hoping that I'd open the machine and find a blown out component with scorch marks next to it, but that did not happen. The only thing I see even slightly discolored is the transformer.
I'd be interested in hearing suggestions on how I might approach diagnosis and repair (mind you I know little more than Ohm's Law when it comes to electronics even though the subject interests me)